Water-still.



m. 634,556. Patent ed Oct. I0, I899.

.1. w. HALE.

WATER STILL.

(Applientiq'n filed July 22, 1898.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

N James WZZZEEZB Y! mums mus co. mare-Lam W101i. 0. a

No. 634,556. Patented Oct. 10, I899.

' J. W1; WATER; sum

7 A nmion filed 221,, 1308. No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES WHITE HALE, or NEWBURYPORT, MASSACHUSETTS."

WATVE a SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Iatent No. 634,556, datedOctober 10,1899.

Application filed July 2 Z, 1898.

To all whom it may concern." Be it known that I, JAMES WHITE HALE, ofNewburyport, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Water- Stills, of whichthe followingis a specification.

The principal object of the present invention is to providea still fordomestic purposes for the distillation of water.

By means of the improved still distilled water aerated by sterilized airis obtained by means of an apparatus which can be placed upon anordinary cooking-stove and which can be safely and efficiently used byhousehold servants who possess no mechanical or scientific attainments.

Generally speaking, the im proved still comprises three'independent andseparable vessels, which when united and properly supplied with waterare ready for use.

The still comprises a boiler in which the water to be distilled isplaced, a collector communicatingwith the boiler for collecting thedistilled water, and a condenser containing cold water which condensesthe steam arising from the boiler and permits the same to drop into thecollector. These three vessels are provided with means for supplyingsterilized air to the distilled water with means for securing the properrelative positions of the three vessels, with means for facilitatingtheir separation from each other, with means for supplying water to theboiler and removing it from the collector, and with means for permittingthe escape at will of any volatile s ubstances which may be containedwithin the water treated. The improved still is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a central verticallongitudinal section of the improved stillwhen in condition for use.Fig. 2 is a central vertical crosssection of the still in condition foruse, the plane in which this section is taken being at right angles tothat'in which Fig. l is taken.

Fig. 3 is a top view of the condenser. Fig; 4 is a bottom view of thecollector. Fig. 5 is a top view'of' the boiler. The section on whichFig. 1- istaken is indicated by'the lines 1 1, which appearin Figs. 3,4, and 5, and the section on which'Fig;2 is taken is indicated by thelines 2 2, which also appear in Figs. 3, 4, and 5.

gerial No. 686,5 9 8. (No model.)

The upper vessel A is the condenser, the intermediate vessel B is thecollector, and the steam-passage a. The boiler carrying the collectorandcondenser is adapted to be placed upon an ordinary cooking-stove, agas-stove, or an oil-stove, or to be otherwise heated. The water to beheated is placed within the boiler, and the steam arising therefrompasses through the steam-passage a into the collector, where it comes incontact with the outer surface of the condenser, which is filled withcold water. The steam is thus condensed, and flowing down theoutersur'faceof the condenser drops into thecollector.

Each of the several vessels A, B, and C is preferably made of sheetmetal.

The boilerC is a cylindrical vessel having an open top. At what may betermed its back it has rigidly secured to its exterior a filling-spoutb, whichcommunicates with the interior of the boiler by means of afilling-aperture 0, located near the bottom of both the spout and theboiler. When the still is in operation, the filling-spout?) is closed bya cap or cover 61. 'By means of this filling spoutb the boiler may bekept supplied with water without removing the collector from the boiler.At the front of the boiler and diametrically opposite from thefillingspout b is the air-supply. This air supply is formed by means ofa flue 6, located within the boiler, the outer wall of which is formedbythe exterior of the boiler itself, while the inner wall is formed by aseparate piece of sheet metal secured within the boiler.' The air-flue eopens into the boiler nearthe top thereof, so that the water-holdingcapacity of the boiler is not materially lessened by reason of theair-supply. 'The air-inlet to the air-flue is constituted by anoutwardly-projecting nozzle f, which opens into the air-flue above thebottom thereof, thus leaving a catch-basin g at the bottom of theair-flue to catch and retain any drops of water which may enter the topof the air-flue from the boiler on account of the agitation of the waterin the boiler and which if allowed to flow out through the nozzle fwould drip onto the stove and give the impression that the still wasleaking. The air-inlet nozzle f is screwthreaded to. receive anair-supply pipe h in case of need. If the still is used on an ordinarycooking-stove when the latter is in use for culinary purposes, the airin the immediate vicinity of the. stove is very apt to be contaminatedby coal-gas, smoke, or other sources, due to the carrying on of theordinary domestic operations, so that the air thus contaminated enteringthe still might unfavorably affect the distilled water. In such casesthe air-supply pipe h is employed, which can be of sufficient lengtheither in itself or by means of sections coupled thereto to lead to apoint sufliciently remote to secure pure air. such as to give rise to noobjectionable gases and the like the air-supply pipe it need not beemployed. .Diametrically opposite from the air-flue the boiler isprovided with a positioning-guide 2', fastened thereto and projectingabove the rimof the boiler, the office of which will hereinafter appearwhen particular reference is made to the collector. The boiler has onits opposite sides and near its top rim rests jj, whichalso serve ashandies to facilitate the handling of the boiler.

The collector B is a cylindrical vessel open at the top and havingat'its bottom a substam tially horizontal floor 70. Beneath the floor 7cthe collector has a depending annular flange Z, which fits snugly withinthe top rim of the I boiler C. The collector likewise has an externalannular flange m, which rests upon the top rim of the boiler. Theflanges Z and m make a snug fit with the boiler, so that the joint thusformed practically prevents the leakage of steam through it during thenormal operation of the still. The collector communicates with theboiler by means of the passage a, which is located at the extreme backof the collector. The floor 7t of the collector has a suitable openingto constitute the bottom of the steam-passage a, and the steam-passageis otherwise constituted by means of the exterior of the collector and aseparate piece of sheet metal, the lower and outer edges of which aresecurely fastened to the collector. The capacity of the collector forholding water is determined by the height of the upper margin of thesteam-passage a above the floor 7c, and this capacity is preferablyless, as shown, than the water-holding capacity of the boiler C, so thatthe collector will be filled before all of the water in the boilerisevaporated, and hence furtherevaporation of the water in the boiler andits sub sequent condensation and accumulation in the collector simplycause the collector to overflow into the boiler. The steam-passage acooperates with the projecting positioningguide 2', carried by theboiler, so as to always insure the location of the steam-passage whenthe still is in use as remote as possible from the air-flue c. It willbe noted that the collector cannot be inserted in place upon the boilerexcept when the positioninguide t t: registers with the steam-passage a,since oth- In case the source of heat employed is erwise theupwardly-projecting guide i would encounter the floor of the collector,and consequently since the guide 1' is diametrically opposite theair-flue c it follows that when the collector is in its operativeposition the steam-passage is as remote as possible from the air-flue.Owing to this construction and arrangement it follows that the airpassing from the discharge-mouth of the air-flue into the collector forthe purpose of aerating the distilled water is compelled to traverse along path in association with the steam rising from the boiler, andhence the air becomes thoroughly sterilized before entering thecollector. Since the water-level within the boiler cannot rise above thedischarge-mouth of the air-flue e, there always exists a chamber betweenthe water-level in the boiler and the floor of the collector extendingfrom the dischargemouth of the air-flue to the steam passage a, whichconstitutes a sterilizingchamber forsterilizing the air. Consequentlythe distilled water is aerated. with pure and sterilized air, thepassage a being hence an air, as well as a steam, passage. Thesterilizing-chamber (thus constituted by the side walls of the boiler,the bottom of thecol- .lector, and the level of the boiling water in theboiler) has a horizontal area equal to the incoming air to be sterilizedin passing across said chamber from the air-inlet to the steam andsterilized-air passage leading to the collector passes over the entiresurface of the boiling water in the boiler and through the entire rising\mass of steam, so that a thorough incorporation of the air with thesteam and consequent complete sterilization are insured before the airpasses into the collector. Surrounding the lower margin of thesteam-passage CL and secured to the floor 7c of the collector is aguard-wire n, which protects the portion of the floor surrounding theair-flue and prevents the injury of the floor by its accidentallyencountering the positioning-guide 2' while the collector is beingplaced upon the boiler. Preferably, as shown in Fig. 4, the guard-wire07. does not conform to that portion of the contour of the inner iscircular, but is arranged as shown in said figure. The guard-wire alsoconstitutes a drip edge to insure the immediate drop? ping back into theboiler of any overflow from the collector, thus preventing its backingunder and collecting on the under side of the floor of the collector.The upper end of the guide 2' is curved, as shown, to prevent injury tothe floor of the collector in .case they are brought in contact throughawkward or careless handling. On its front and diametrically opposite tothe steam-passage the collector is provided with a dischargeaperture 0,located near its bottom, which communicates with an exterior outlet-nose1), carried by the collector, whereby the distilled water stored withinthe collector may and identical with that of the boiler, so that portionof the aperture in the door 7c whichbe pouredoff. The mouth of thenose 1) is normally covered by a snugly-fitting cap q. The top of thedischarge-nose p is above the level of the top of the steam-passage a,so that water collecting in the collector cannot overflow through thenose 19. By placing the outlet 0, with the discharge-nose p,diametrically opposite the steam-passage a the distilled water can bereadily poured out without spilling any of it into the boiler 0,.evenwhen the level of the distilled water is flush with the top of thesteam-passage a. Located within the nose p, on the outside of the wallofthe collector, is a visual full water-mark '7, conveniently formed by awire soldered in place. This is located just below or at theoverflow-level of the passage or. By removing the cap q the fullwater-mark is in full view, and the progress of the distillation isascertained.

The collector has near its top and directly above the steam-passage a avent r, which, if desired, is adapted to be closed at will by ascrew-stopper 8. When the still is started in operation, the stopper 3,if employed, is removed and any volatile impurities contained within thewater willpass off through the vent r. The location of theventimmediately in line with the steam-passage Ct facilitates the escapeof such vapors. When steam is seen issuing from the vent, it can beclosed by inserting the stopper 3. Since the vent is small, however, itcan be left constantly open without materially lessening the capacity ofthe still. This vent being located at substantially the highest portionof the interior of the still permits the air originally within the stillto be readily driven out, and if the vent is then stopped thecirculation of steam within the still and the indrawing of air from theair-flue by the condensation of the steam are facilitated. Near itsbottom and on opposite sides the collector is provided with two handles15 If, by means of which the collector is handled. Owing to thepositioning-guide i, when the collector is in place these handles 1 tare directly above the rests jj of the boiler and in close proximitythereto. The handles t tof the collector are preferably skeletonhandles, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and consequently the upper portionsof the boilerrests jj are accessible throughthe collectorhandles t iwhen the collector is in place on the boiler. This relative arrangementof the handles and rests greatly facilitates the separation of thecollector and boiler when desired.

. As heretofore stated, there is preferably a snug fit between thecollector and boiler, so.

as to prevent leakage of steam through the joint between them during theordinary operation'of the still, and consequently some little force isrequired to separate the two. This is readily effected by reason of therelative location of the handles 25 t and rests j j, since by graspingthe handles ttwith the fingers of both hands and pressing down with thethumbs upon the rests jij of the boiler the collector is lifted freefrom the boiler without difficulty and without danger of tilting thecollector or disturbing the boiler. Near its top and preferably directlyover the handles t t the collector is provided on opposite sides and atits exterior with two outwardlyprojecting rests u a, which serve thesame office in connection with the separation of i the condenser fromthe collector which the restsj j of the boiler serve in connection withthe handles 15 tof the collector, as will hereinafter appear inconsidering the construction of the condenser.

The condenser A is an open-mouthed vessel, which is adapted to nestwithin the collector and to be supported upon the upper rim thereof andwhich is filled with cold water for the purpose of facilitating thecondensationof the steam circulating within the collector. The upperportion a; of the condenser is cylindrical, the lower portion 10 isspherical, and the intermediate section w thereof is conical,substantially as shown, and at its extreme bottom it has a dependingflange y, which serves as a foot. upon which to stand the condenser whenremoved from the still, affording a fiat resting edge. The entire interior of the condenser is wholly unobstructed, and the shape of itsinterior at the bottom facilitates the emptying of the condenser bymeans of a dipper. In domestic stills of this character where there isno connection with a cold-water supply, a single filling of thecondenser with cold water may not always suffice to condense all of thesteam, thus requiring the removal of the heated Water within thecondenser and its replacement by cold water when the still is inoperation. It is not desirable to remove the condenserfor this purpose,since when filled with water it is heavyand much of the steam wouldthereby escape and the temperature of the still be lowered, andconsequently the construction is preferably such thatthe condenser maybe readily emptied by means of a dipper. The unobstructed interior ofthe condenser herein set forthand its interior shape are especiallydesigned for this purpose. The condenser fits snugly within .the upperopen mouth of the collector and is supported upon the upper rim of thecollector by means of aprojecting annular flange 2, carried by thecondenser. A joint substantially preventing leakage of steam during theordinary operation of the still is thus formed. For the purpose ofhandling the condenser it is provided at opposite sides near its topwith outwardly-proj'ecting handles 6 6, and when the condenser is'put inplace within the collector these handles'should come directly over therests u it, carried by the collector. The condenser-handles 6 6 arepreferably skeleton handles, so that the collector-rests u u areaccessible through them. Consequently the condenser is readilydetachable from the collector by simply pressing down upon the rests u uwith the thumbs when the condenser is pressed upwardly by the fingersgrasping the handles 6 6. The distilled water condensing on the outersurface of the condenser trickles down the same until it reaches thefoot 'y, from which it drops off into the storage-chainber of thecollector. This foot y is wholly nearer the vertical center of the stillthan any portion of the steam-passage a, so that none of the condensedwater is lost through trickling back into the boiler through thesteampassage a, and consequently the location of the steam-passage atone side of the collector is a desirable one therefor. The lowestportion of'the condenser does not extend down as far as theoverflow-level of the water in the collector, as shown.

In order to operate the still, the boiler is filled nearly but not quiteto the top of the air-flue. It is then set over the fire and thecollector placed upon it and the condenser placed Within the collector.The cover d and cap q are also put in their places, and, it necessary,the air-supply pipe 7b is screwed on to the air-inlet nozzle f and thestopper 5 is removed from the vent r. If the water treated is supposedto contain any volatile substances,

the condenser should be allowed to remain empty until the steam beginsto pour out through the vent r, whereupon the condenser should beimmediately filled with cold water and the vent closed by means ofthestopper s. In case the still works normally it will require no moreattention until the collector is full of dstilled water, in which casethe water in the nose 19 will have risen above and have submerged thefull Watermark 7. Hence it is only necessary to remove the cap q to ascertain how the process of distillation is progressing. If the still isnot attended to for some time after the collector is full, no harm wouldordinarily result from such neglect, since the water in thecondenserwould overflow into the boiler; but if the still were neglectedfor so long a time that the water in the condenser would no longercondense the steam properly the steam would then escape down theair-flue and after a time the boiler would become dry. The issuing ofsteam from the air-supply nozzle give notice that the still requiresattention. When the collector is emptied, the boiler must be refilledand the condenser emptied and refilled with cold water in order tocontinue the still in action. If the boiler is refilled with hot waterfrom the condenser, it is not necessary to open the vent 7', since thevolatile substances have already been expelled therefrom.

On account of the dii'ficulty of securing a faucet which will not beattacked by distilled water it is preferred not to use a faucet for thepurpose of drawing oif the distilled Water from the collector, and hencethe outlet-nose p is provided for this purpose. When the collector is tobe emptied, the con denseris first re1noved,-and the collector is thentilted so that the distilled water is poured off through the outlet-nose1). By reason of the loca tion of the outlet-nose diametrically oppositefrom the steam-passage a there is no danger of any portion of thedistilled water being lost by flowing back through said steam-passageinto the boiler when the collector is tilted to discharge the distilledwater through the outlet-nose p. This affords aconvenient way ofobtaining the distilled water from the collector. It of course involvesthe lifting off of the condenser; but it is ordinarily desirable to dothis anyway, since at the completion of the distilling operation thewater in the condenser is ordinarily hot, and it is desirable to pouroff this hot water from the condenser in order that it may be suppliedwith cold water preparatory to further distillation.

It will be obvious on a consideration of the still as a whole thatit canbe very readily managed by household servants or by any one having nospecial mechanical attainments. The three vessels of which the still iscomposed are easily separated, so that every part is rendered accessiblefor purposes of cleaning or otherwise. This is highly important, sincethe boiler should be frequently cleaned and anything which interfereswith the ready accessibility of the boiler would prevent its propercleaning. The provision of the sterilizing-chamber is effected in thesimplest possible manner, since it is constituted by simply placing thecollector in position, and it always has ample capacity for supplyingthe necessary air, and the relative positions of the air-flue andsteam-passage insure the proper sterilization of the air.

It will be noticed that While this still is designed more particularlyfor domestic purposes some of its characteristic features are applicableto the larger and more intricate stills which are used in manufacturingand industrial establishments.

I claim as my invention- 1. A still having, in combination, acylindrical boiler with an open top, a positioningguide projecting aboveits top, an air-flue diametrically opposite to said positioning-guideand opening into said boiler near the top thereof, an air-inlet nozzlecommunicating with said air-flue above the bottom thereof whereby acatch-basin is formed at the bottom of said air-flue, a water-inletaperture near its bottom, an exterior filling-nose communicating withsaid water-inlet, and a cap for said nose; a detachable air-supply pipeconnected with said air-inlet nozzle; a cylindrical openmouthedcollector fitting snugly within the top of said boiler and supportedthereupon, said collector having a flat floor which in connection withthewater-level within the boiler forms a sterilizing-chambercommunicating with said air-flue, a steam-passage connecting said boilerand collector, said steam-passage being located at one side of saidcollector and being adapted to register with the positioning-guidecarried by said boiler so that when the collector is in position thesteampassage is as remote as possible from the airfiue, the saidsteam-passage terminating at its top Within the collector andconstituting an overflow for said collector so that the storage capacityof said collector is less than the water-holding capacity of the boiler,a wateroutlet at the bottom of said collector diamet rically oppositesaid steam-passage, an exterior discharge-nose communicating with saidwater-outlet and extending above the top of said steam-passage, a coverfor said outlet, a,

2. Astill having, in combination, a boiler with an open top, apositioninguide projecting above its top, an air-fine diametricallyopposite to said positioning-guide and opening into said boiler near thetop thereof, an-airinlet communicating with said air-flue above thebottom thereof whereby a catch-basin is formed at the bottom of saidair-fine, a waterinlet aperture near its bottom, and an exteriorfilling-nose communicating with said water-inlet; an open-mouthedcollector fitting snugly within the top of said boiler and supportedthereupon, saidcollector having a flat floor which in connection withthe waterlevel within the boiler forms a sterilizingchambercommunicating with said air-fine, a steam-passage connecting said boilerand collector, said steam-passage being located at one side of saidcollector and being adapted to register with the positioning-guidecarried by said boiler so that when the collector is in position thesteam-passage is as remote as possible from the air-flue, the saidsteampassage terminating at its top within the collector andconstituting an overflow for said collector so that the storage capacityof said collector is less than the water-holding capacity of the boiler,a water-outlet at the bottom of said collector diametrically oppositesaid steam-passage, an exterior dischargenose communicating with saidwater-outlet and extending above the top of said steampassage, and avent near the top of the collector directly above the steam-passage, anda removable" stopper for said vent; and an open-mouthed condenserfitting snugly with in the top of the collector and supported thereupon, substantially as set forth.

3. A still having, in combination, a boiler with an open top, apositioning-guide projecting above its top, and an air-supply fluediametrically opposite to said positioning-guide and opening into saidboiler near the top thereof; an openmouthed collector fitting snuglywithin the top of said boiler and supported thereupon, said collectorhaving a flat floor which in connection with the water-level within theboiler forms asterilizing-chamber communicating with said air-flue, asteampassage connecting said boiler and collector, said steam-passagebeing located at one side of said collector and being adapted toregister with the positioning-guide carried by said boiler so that whenthe collector is inposition the steam-passage is as remote as possiblefrom the air-flue, and a vent near the top of the collector directlyabove the steam-passage; and an open-mouthed condenser fitting snuglywithin the top of the collector and supported thereupon, substantiallyas set forth.

4. l A still having, in combination, a boiler with an open top, apositioning-guide projecting above its top, and an air-fluediametrically'opposite to said positioning-guide and opening into saidboiler near the top thereof 5 an open-mouthed collector fitting snuglywithin the top of said boiler and supported thereupon, said collectorhaving a fiat floor Whichin connection with the water-level within theboiler forms a sterilizing-chamber coininunicating with said air-fine,and astea'mpassage connecting said boiler and collector, saidsteam-passage being located at one side of said collector and beingadapted to register with the positioning-guide carried by said boiler sothat when the collector is in position the steam-passage is as remote aspossible from the air-fine; and an open-mouthed condenser fitting snuglywithin the top of the collector and supported thereupon, substantiallyas set forth.

5. A still having, in combination, a boiler with an open top,apositioning-guide projecting above its top, and an air-finediametrically opposite to said positioning-gnide'and opening into saidboiler near thetop thereof; an open-mouthed collector fitting within thetop of said boiler and supported thereupon, said collector having afloor which in connection with the water-level within the boiler forms asterilizing-chamber communicating with said air-fine, a steam-passageconnecting said boiler and collector, saidsteam-passage being located atone side of said collec-. tor and being adapted to register with thepositioning-guide carried by said boiler so that when the collector isin position the steampassage is as remote as possible from the air=fine; and an open-mouthed condenser fitting within the top of thecollector and supported thereupon, substantially as set forth.

, 6. A still having, in combination, a boiler with an open top, apositioning-guide projecting above its top, and an air-finediametrically opposite to said positioning-guide and opening into saidboiler near the top thereof; an open-mouthed collector fitting Withinthe top of said boiler and supported thereupon, said collector having afioorwhich in connection with the water-level within the boiler forms asterilizing-chamber communicating being located at one side of saidcollector and being adapted to register with the positioningguidecarried by said boiler so that when the collector is in position thesteam-passage is as remote as possible from the air-flue; and acondenser, substantially as set forth.

7. A still having, in combination, a boiler having an air-inlet at oneside and nearits top; a collector having a floor which in connectionwith the water-level within the boiler and the side walls of said boilerforms a sterilizingchamber communicating with said air-inlet, and asteam-passage connecting said boiler and collector, said steam-passagebeing located at the side of said collector remote from the air-inlet;and a condenser; said boiler, collector, and condenserbeing separablefrom each other, substantially as set forth.

8. A still having, in combination, a boiler havinganair-inletatonesideand near itstop; a collector having a floor which inconnection with the water-level within the boiler and the side walls ofsaid boiler forms a sterilizingchamber communicating with saidair-inlet, and a steam-passage connecting said boiler and collector,said steam-passage being. located at the side of said collector remotefrom the air-inlet; and a condenser, substantially as set forth.

9. A still having, in combination, a boiler having an air-inlet near itstop; a collector separably connected with said boiler, said collectorhaving a floor which in connection with the water-level within theboiler and the side walls of said boiler forms a sterilizing-chambercommunicating with said air-inlet, and a steam-passage connecting saidboiler and collector; and a condenser, substantially as set forth.

10. A still having, in combination, a boiler;

connecting said boiler and collector through which steam and sterilizedair enter the collector, substantially as set forth.

11. A still having, in combination, a boiler having an air-flue openinginto it near the top, and an air-inlet communicating with said air-flueabove the bottom thereof whereby a catch-basin is formed at the bottomof said air-flue; a collector having a steam-passage connecting it withsaid boiler; and a condenser, substantially as set forth.

12. A still having, in combination, a boiler, a condenser, and acollector, said collector having at one side a steam-passage with whichit communicates with the boiler, and having on its diametricallyopposite side a dischargeoutlet, whereby the water in the collector canbe turned out through the discharge-outlet without flowing into saidsteam-passage, substantially as set forth.

13. A still having, in combination, a boiler, a condenser, and acollector, said collector having at opposite sides a passage with whichit communicates with said boiler, and a discharge-outlet, the mouth ofsaid dischargeoutlet being above that of said passage so that thecollector overflows into the boiler but can never overflow through saiddischarge when the still is in its normal operative position, and acover for said discharge-outlet, substantially as set forth.

14. A s till having, in combination, a boiler, a condenser and acollector, said collector having a steam-pas sagejat one side, a floorhaving an aperture registering with said steam-passage, and a guard-wiresecured to the under side of said floor andsurrounding said aperture,substantially as set forth.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JAMES "WHITE HALE. Witnesses:

ELLA XV. MACE, A. W. WooDMAN.

